Reference no: EM132188199 , Length: word count:400

TOPICS FOR WRITING AND DISCUSSION -

1. If you had to choose one theory of happiness discussed in this chapter as dominant in our society, which would it be? Explain. Then indicate whether it represents your own view.

2. Create and then describe three television commercials for the same product, each directed toward a different audience: (a) a hedonist, (b) an epicurean, and (c) a Buddhist.

3. Choose one ofthe following options for discussion or a short paper:

a. A gambler who has lost all evening makes one last bet with money that has been saved for the down payment on a house and wins back twice the sum. Could you justify the risk? Or take the gambler to task regardless of the win? Is life a matter of taking risks anyway? Is it worth playing close to the vest?

b. In a children's game of musical chairs, one child is clearly the winner. Should the organizers of the game give each child the same prize in order not to hurt anyone's feelings? Or should children be taught at an early age how the world usually works? Which of these two approaches is likely to produce the happier child?

c. The big earnings theory, discussed in the chapter, maintains that people who work hard or sacrifice for each other deserve substantial rewards. Pretend you have found somebody's wallet containing $1,000 as well as the name and phone number of the owner. You return it and receive a "thank you very much' and that's all. You ask Aristippus, Epicurus, and Aristotle how you should feel. What do they answer?

4. Write a toast you would make for a newly married couple, as if you were (a) a stoic and then (b) the Dalai Lama.

5. Andrew Carnegie wrote: "While the law of competition may be sometimes hard for the individual, it is best for each race, because it insures the survival of the fittest. We accept and therefore welcome great inequality of environment, the concentration of business in the hands of a few, and the law of competition between them as being essential for the future progress of the race."On which theory of happiness is this idea based? Do you agree with it? Why or why not?

6. Which theory of happiness in your opinion is most helpful to the world and which the least? Explain your answers.

7. The mother in a very poor family once made fried dough with powdered sugar for Thanksgiving dinner and told everyone they were going to have a real treat. Which philosophy of happiness would be most likely to say this was a lie? Which would be most likely to agree with the mother? Think carefully before you answer, then explain your choices.

8. Both Gandhi and King were assassinated. In your opinion, does this fact alter the view that, in Aristotelian terms, they led happy lives?

9. The English philosopher Bertrand Russell said work is a major component of happiness. Which kind of work do you anticipate doing? Which kind of work do you think offers the best chance of leading you to happiness? Are they the same?

10. A philosopher said, "Take care that your happiness does not depend on what happens to you." To which theory of happiness is this statement most closely related? Is it, in your opinion, a reasonable or even possible approach to living? What can be said in favor of and against it?

Note - Please choose 4 out of 10 of the questions to answer and discuss. About 75-100 words per answer. One of your choices can be one selection from 3. Total length: 300 - 400 words.